Coptic Church & Ecumenical Movement - Saint Mina Coptic ...

THIRD STUDY SEMINAR – ECCLESIOLOGY
Agreed Report on the third PRO ORIENTE Study Seminar “Ecclesiology and the
Unity of the Church” (Vienna, 1-5 July 1994).
At the invitation of PRO ORIENTE a third study seminar was held in Vienna, in the
Bildungshaus Lainz, from 1-5 July 1994, on the theme “Ecclesiology and the Unity of
the Church.” Its purpose was to continue the work started at the two previous study
seminars on “Primacy”, in 1991, and on “Concils and Conciliarity”, in 1992.
The main theme this time was a comparative study of the ecclesiologies of the
Catholic and the Oriental Orthodox Churches with special attention given to the place
of the Oriental Catholic Churches. A number of specialists on this subject and
theologians of the Oriental Orthodox and Oriental Catholic Churches took part in the
presentations and discussions.
The general theme was introduced by two presentations on “Ecclesiology and the
search for communion between East and West”: one from the Catholic side by Prof.
Fr. Hervé Legrand OP (Paris) and one from the Oriental Orthodox side by Prof. Emile
Maher Ishak (Cairo), of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Two general briefings were given to the participants as a contribution to the
discussions:
1. “The Current Theological Discussion of the Problems of Uniatism and Proselytism
in the Framework of the Theological Dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox”, by
Fr. Frans Bouwen PA (Jerusalem);
2. “The Ecclesiological and Canonical Status of the Oriental Catholic Churches
according to Vaticanum II and the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (1991)”,
by Prof. Richard Potz (Vienna).
“The role of the Oriental Catholic Churches in the Search for Communion between
East and West” was introduced by two representatives of the Oriental Orthodox
Churches: Archbishop Mar Gregorios of Aleppo of the Syrian Orthodox Church of
Antioch, and Archbishop Mesrob K. Krikorian of Vienna of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Etchmiadzin, as well as by two representatives of the Oriental Catholic
Churches: Fr. Makarios Tawfiq (Cairo) of the Coptic Catholic Church, and
Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil of Changanacherry of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The discussions that followed the introductory papers were characterised by a spirit of
fraternal openness, brotherly love and peaceful joy in the Holy Spirit. The main
elements of the common reflection can be summarised in the following points.
Both the Roman Catholic and the Oriental Orthodox families of churches seek unity
on the basis of and Ecclesiology of communion. Communion, though having a broad
spectrum of meanings primarily signifies eucharistic communion in both our
traditions.
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